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That Drawer . . . . It's fine.

 Letters from the Nest

https://lettersfromthenest.substack.com/p/that-drawer


We have an entire kitchen drawer dedicated to face masks. You know, the kind people wore every time they interacted with anybody outside their bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic nearly FIVE years ago. A whole drawer. For face masks. From years ago. Why?

Why, indeed.

The why doesn’t refer to the act of wearing face masks. That topic was debated, disputed, accepted, rejected, suffered, rebelled against, and on and on. I don’t want to talk about that. Just writing about it makes my blood pressure rise. So much conflict and uncertainty. It’s sickening! (not viral, haha).

The “why” I’m thinking about is why, when no member of our family has actually worn a face mask in at least three years, do we still have an entire kitchen drawer dedicated to them?

Okay, actually, you’re right. The drawer also holds packs of gum. Bad breath and face masks. They go together, right?

A couple of weeks ago, I went to that drawer to get a pack of gum to replenish my bag for church. (I like to pass out gum to everybody on our row after the sacrament. It’s been a thing I have done for at least 15 years. Maybe longer.) So, I opened the drawer for a pack, and our gum box was empty! But guess what I saw? Face masks. Hundreds of disposable face masks mingled with a jaunty collection of the cotton variety.

The masks glared at me. I glared back. “What are you still doing here? Don’t you have something better to do?” (You already know I talk to household items like they’re people. I also know you think it’s kinda weird.)

The masks didn’t answer. Of course. It’s not their fault they’re still there, taking up space, existing without purpose, invisible until the gum was gone.

We moved into our house in 2021 when mask-wearing was what everybody did. The construction crew remodeling our house also wore masks (at first), but then it just seemed weird since they were at our house every weekday from morning to evening.

Unpacking and settling into our home was a haphazard affair. Still, the placement of the masks in their own drawer next to the key drawer made sense. Grab a mask. Grab the keys. Go.

Eventually, as you know, the wearing of face masks faded from our everyday routines. I got rid of the “mask bags” we carried in each of our cars. No need. I didn’t carry extra masks around in my purse. Why would I? But nobody did a thing about that mask drawer. It’s still there! Why?

I hear a lot of excuses formulating in my mind. We have been busy. Too many things, too much time. It’s not important. What if we need them? I’m tired. What it boils down to is that the effort required to reorganize hurts more than knowing we could be putting that part of the kitchen to better. Because right now, it’s fine. Those masks aren’t hurting anybody. They don’t cause any disruption. They’re just there. That’s all.

Of course, now I’m thinking about all of the other things in my life that are fine. We live our lives. We do the stuff. Time goes on. We get by. Even though things could be better, they’re not bad.

What are you thinking about that’s like our abandoned mask drawer? It’s easy for me to think about cluttered drawers and closets, unmended clothes, and bags waiting to go to Goodwill. Household stuff. It’s more difficult to think about patterns of living or thinking that I accept because everything is fine. They’re not bad, but could I do better with a little attention and effort?

What are the mask drawers in your life? What are you not seeing? What has gone on too long? What are you not changing and why? What kind of help do you need?

I suppose now that I have acknowledged this drawer, I should do something about it, right? Ask me about it next time we talk.

Love,

Mom

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